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Peru judge orders ex-President Ollanta Humala jailed before trial

A court in Peru has ordered the arrest of former President Ollanta Humala and his wife in a corruption case. The couple have been accused of money laundering in a scandal involving a Brazilian construction company.

A Peruvian judge ruled on Thursday that ex-President Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia should be detained as they face money laundering charges.

The pre-trial detention would keep the couple in jail for up to 18 months while prosecutors prepare formal money laundering charges against them.

Judge Richard Concepcion decided in favor of a request by prosecutor German Juarez, who requested that the couple be arrested to prevent them from fleeing country or interfering with the investigation.

Humala and Heredia's defense lawyers immediately said they would appeal the ruling, but said the couple were on their way to turn themselves in to authorities.

"They're not fleeing. They never intended to flee," said defense attorney Wilfredo Pedraza.

Corruption scandal

Humala, who governed Peru between 2011 and 2016, is accused of taking undeclared funds from the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2006.

The former head of the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht also previously testified that he illegally contributed $3 million (2.6 million euros) to Humala's 2011 presidential campaign, which he ended up winning.

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The Odebrecht standstill

The Odebrecht standstill

Prosecutors argue that the former president, who never declared the contributions, conspired with his wife to hide the funds for personal gain.

The same judge previously ordered the arrest of another ex-Peruvian president, Alejandro Toledo, on similar charges.

Thursday's ruling is the second time a former Peruvian president has been ordered behind bars since Odebrecht testified as part of a plea deal with US and Brazilian prosecutors in December that it paid bribes across Latin America over the course of 10 years.

The bribes included around $29 million paid to Peru for projects built during Toledo, Humala and former President Alan Garcia's administrations. Toledo, who is believed to be in the US, has refused to turn himself in.

The same scandal has also ensnared former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was convicted on Wednesday and sentenced to 9.5 years in jail for corruption.

rs/msh (AP, dpa, Reuters)

Fallen leaders

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil

Lula has been found guilty of corruption and money laundering for his involvement in the "Car Wash" scandal, an extensive corruption probe that uncovered widespread bribery among Brazil's elites. Lula, who held the presidential office between 2003 and 2010, was sentenced to 9.5 years in jail. He still has a chance to appeal the ruling.

Fallen leaders

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who served as Argentina's first lady and then as its president from 2007 to 2015, was indicted on corruption charges in 2016. She was accused of granting public construction contracts to favored companies. She denies any wrongdoing. Fernandez is now seeking a political comeback, which some observers say is a bid to seek immunity against the charges.

Fallen leaders

Park Geun-hye, Soth Korea

Following months of public outcry over a wave of corruption allegations, South Korea's first female president Park Geun-hye was removed from office. She has been charged with extortion, bribery and abuse of power. Park was impeached in December 2016.

Fallen leaders

Ehud Olmert, Israel

The 71-year-old Olmert, who was premier between 2006 and 2009, was convicted of corruption in 2014. He entered prison in February 2016 but was was released in early July 2017 after his sentence was shortened. He was the first former prime minister of Israel to go to prison. Benjamin Netanyahu was his successor.

Fallen leaders

Adrian Nastase, Romania

Adrian Nastase was convicted of corruption charges in 2012 and sentenced to a two-year imprisonment term. At the time when the sentence was pronounced, he was the only head of government sentenced to prison in the 23 years following the Romanian Revolution. He was Romania's prime minister from 2004-2006.

Fallen leaders

Charles G. Taylor, Liberia

Charles G. Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2012 for his role in atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during its civil war in the 1990s. Taylor was the first former head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials in Germany after World War II. He was Liberia's president from 1997-2003.